Ever wonder what former CEO Bill Jews did with the generous “parting gift” he received from CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield? Well, at least part of the answer resides at 11914 Minor Jones Drive in Owings Mills. Jews purchased the home for $3,275,000 in early 2010 and its bells and whistles are a timely reminder of how lucrative the state’s largest health insurer was for the ex-company chief.
The understated exterior view belies an opulence that presents itself as soon as you open the front door. A two-story barrel-vaulted foyer with curved staircase seems designed to greet the owner with the message, “Congratulations, buddy, you are successful!” As a matter of fact, the whole house feels very “executive” with loads of gleaming wood, recessed lighting and inlaid marble. Is it me or does that dining room look like it’s just a few yellow notepads short of a board meeting? No wonder Bill liked it! The house weighs in at 10,000 square feet with six bedrooms, eight baths, pool, putting green (tres business man) and a room for every purpose imaginable: theater room, exercize room, wine room, etc. Over the top? Well, not exactly my style but well done and the creature comforts certainly look inviting. The amount of Bravo TV I could watch in those green loungers alone! The only element that I can truly take exception with is that pool house, which looks like a Wawa convenience store. It needs to be fired.
Arguably, the house is symbol of well-earned success. Jews’ story is the classic American dream: from hard-working Cambridge basketball star to top executive. Bill Jews smartly led CFBCBC from the brink of insolvency to profitability by cutting costs and growing profits. But some believe cutting costs equals cutting care, and large profits have no business near a non-profit health insurance program. Either way the house is a sign of the times that makes you think.
